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 W.A.C.O. members Bob Moore ('65 SS) and Skip Thompson ('64 SS) brought out their rides to be a part of the action. |
Warm weather and smiling faces greeted Chevelle owners in Wichita, Kansas as they convened June 14-15 for the Wichita Area Chevelle Owners (W.A.C.O.) -hosted 1996 Midwest Chevelle Regionals. The Harvey Hotel was the epicenter of activities for the weekend, as 94 Chevelle owners and 89 cars showed up for the occasion, with a couple of participants driving their Chevelles in from over 700 miles away (one way!).
Dedicated W.A.C.O. members helped 94 participants get registered for the '96 Midwest Chevelle Regionals. A total of 89 cars were entered in show competition.
Registration began at 8am on Friday, with Chevelle owners already in line and waiting for the festivities to begin. The rest of the day was spent cleaning, visiting, cleaning, organizing, cleaning, swapping (some parts, but mostly lies), and cleaning even more. That night, a mixer was scheduled for 6pm, with food, fun games, and door prizes being given out. For the kids (both young and old), a clown made an appearance to add to the entertainment. The mixer was officially closed at 10pm, but most of the participants merely moved their conversation to the parking lot where more lies were told and they could check out each others' Chevelles.
Chris Thornton holds title to this great looking '66 Super Sport. Five-spoke Americans give it a nice "era" appearance.
Saturday's activities began a 8am with continued registration and games and prizes galore for the kids. Wives and girlfriends were treated to a fashion show and a cosmetics class conducted by Mary Kay Cosmetics, while more cleaning, visiting, cleaning, etc. went on out in the parking lot.
One of the highlights of the day was an engine blow, held at 3pm. Since we all know that Chevy engines are virtually indestructible, a Ford engine was selected, drained of all its vital fluids, then started and run until it blew up. Although on-site betting is illegal in Kansas, whoever bet that the engine would only last 49 seconds walked away as the big winner. The fact that nobody was arrested for gambling is even more surprising when you consider that the Wichita Police Department was there with their D.A.R.E. Corvette on display! Thanks, guys!
This sharp (and rare) '64 two-door wagon belongs to W.A.C.O. President David Gohring, who had it lookin' good despite all the other things he had to attend to.
And what's a car show in the Midwest without a few sprinkles? But by 2:30 that afternoon, the sun was out nice and bright again, and the rain didn't seem to dampen anybody's enthusiasm for the event. A cruise was schedule for 5pm down through the Old Towne district of Wichita. This rejuvenated part of the city features plenty to see and do, and the owners of the Spaghetti Warehouse even reserved half of their parking lot for the Regionals participants, so everyone could park safely while they ate. At 8pm, the car show awards were given out. This year, winners were given beautiful plaques with a photo on them of their car, taken at the event.
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W.A.C.O. Prez Dave Gohring MC'd the awards ceremony, handing out plaques with the winning Chevelle's pictures on them to deserving owners. The People's Choice trophy went to Mike Campa and his gorgeous '64 SS convertible. |  |
With the formalities out of the way, everyone returned to the hotel parking lot for a final night bull session that went on into the wee hours of the morning. It was a good thing, too, because a severe storm warning was issued while many of the participants were asleep, and a special thanks goes to W.A.C.O. member Bob Moore and others who contacted most of the people with cars, and got them safely moved to a covered parking area before the weather hit. Thanks should also go to all the W.A.C.O. members who guarded the Chevelles while the owners went back to bed.
Next year's dates and location haven't been announced yet, but keep an eye on the Events section of Chevelle World, and make plans to attend. You'll have a good time, make some new friends, and see some of the best Chevelles in the country. See ya next year!!!
1998 - Electronic pages by Al